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Tutoring Cheat Sheet (DRAFT) by

A sheet to help with items during a tutoring session.

This is a draft cheat sheet. It is a work in progress and is not finished yet.

Starters into the Conver­sation

If we want people to think better, we must essent­ially let them do all the thinking.
1. Let the student think through the specific issue. Avoid telling him/her what to do or giving advice. Ask questions about thought process.
2. Keep him/her focused on solutions, not problems
3. Challenge him/her to expand their thinking and stretch themse­lves, instead of clinging to their comfort zone.
4. Focus on what s/he is doing well so you can play to his/her strengths.
5. Make sure there are clear processes behind every conver­sation. To be turly helpful, a coaching conver­sation requires permission to ask questions and explore possib­ili­ties.

Diagnostic

Diagnostic questions can be used to uncover gaps in unders­tanding or address miscon­cep­tions that might not be immedi­ately obvious. These questions help you pinpoint where a student is strugg­ling, whether it’s a fundam­ental concept, an overlooked detail, or a misint­erp­ret­ation of the material.
GOOD
Why do you think we use this method here?
Could we use a different one?
Why or why not?’
Why do you think this policy was implem­ented in this scenario?
Could a different approach have worked?
Why or why not?’
How might a change in this variable influence the outcome?’

Ask proces­s-f­ocused questions:

‘What steps have you taken so far?’
‘What key factors have you considered in analysing this data?’
‘How have you structured your essay so far? What evidence have you included to support your argument?’
 

Ask Open-ended Questions

Open-ended questions encourage students to provide detailed answers, giving you a clearer picture of their unders­tan­ding.
 
BAD
GOOD
Do you understand this formula?
Can you explain how this formula works in your own words?
Do you understand this graph?
Can you explain what this graph is showing? How does it relate to the question?
Do you understand the passage?
Can you explain what motivates Macbeth to act the way he does in this passage?
Why did you do that?
What were some of your reasons for making that choice or decision?
Are you still having difficulty with the new ___?
Which part of the new ___ seems to be the most challe­nging?
What could you have done to get better results?
What other possib­ilities might there be to get the answer?

Hypoth­etical

Hypoth­etical questions encourage students to apply their knowledge to new scenarios, testing their grasp of the material while also boosting their confidence in tackling unfamiliar problems indepe­nde­ntly.
GOOD
What would happen if we changed this variable?
How would it affect the outcome?
What would happen if a different country experi­enced this earthq­uake?
How might it change the outcomes we’ve discus­sed?’
‘If the witches in Macbeth had not delivered any prophe­cies, how might Macbeth’s choices and his ultimate fate have been differ­ent?’
 

INTENTION OF QUESTION

Clarif­ication
“Explain what you mean by…”
Elabor­ation
“Tell me more about…”
Prediction
“If you do…, what do you think will happen?”
Applic­ation
What will you do with this?” “How will you apply this in another situat­ion?”

Scaffo­lding

Scaffo­lding involves breaking down complex ideas into smaller, manageable parts and guiding students through connected questions. This approach helps them gradually build unders­tanding and confid­ence, allowing them to uncover the solution on their own.
BAD
GOOD
What do you notice about this data?
‘How do these trends compare to what we studied previo­usly?’ → ‘What conclu­sions can you draw from this compar­ison?’
What does this term mean?
‘How is it used in this context?’ → ‘Why do you think it’s important to the argument?’
‘What happens in the first step of this process?’
How does that step affect the next stage?’ → ‘What impact does the overall process have on the outcome?’

Process not the Answer

Unders­tanding how a student arrives at an answer is just as important as whether they get it right.
GOOD
How did you approach this question?
What was your first step?’
How did you decide which factors were most important to discuss when reading this essay question?’
‘What was your thought process when analysing this poem? Which lines stood out to you, and why?’